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Adventures in Contentment
·
David Grayson
99
"Have
you
seen
a
brown
cow?"
I
asked.
He
was
still
so
astonished
that
he
began
to
look
around
him;
he
thrust
his
hands
nervously
into
his
coat
pockets
and
pulled
them
out
again.
"I
think
you
won't
find
her
in
there,"
I
said,
seeking
to
relieve
his
embarrassment.
But
I
didn't
know,
then,
how
very
serious
a
person
I
had
encountered.
"No--no,"
he
stammered,
"I
haven't
seen
your
cow."
So
I
explained
to
him
with
sobriety,
and
at
some
length,
the
problem
I
had
to
solve.
He
was
greatly
interested
and
inasmuch
as
he
was
going
my
way
he
offered
at
once
to
assist
me
in
my
search.
So
we
set
off
together.
He
was
rather
stocky
of
build,
and
decidedly
short
of
breath,
so
that
I
regulated
my
customary
stride
to
suit
his
deliberation.
At
first,
being
filled
with
the
spirit
of
my
adventure,
I
was
not
altogether
pleased
with
this
arrangement.
Our
conversation
ran
something
like
this:
STRANGER:
Has
she
any
spots
or
marks
on
her?
MYSELF:
No,
she
is
plain
brown.
STRANGER:
How
old
a
cow
is
she?
MYSELF:
This
is
her
first
calf.
STRANGER:
Valuable
animal?
MYSELF:
(fencing):
I
have
never
put
a
price
on
her;
she
is
a
promising
young
heifer.
STRANGER:
Pure
blood?
MYSELF:
No,
grade.
After
a
pause:
STRANGER:
Live
around
here?
MYSELF:
Yes,
half
a
mile
below
here.
Do
you?
STRANGER:
Yes,
three
miles
above
here.
My
name's
Purdy.
MYSELF:
Mine
is
Grayson.
He
turned
to
me
solemnly
and
held
out
his
hand.
"I'm
glad
to
meet
you,
Mr.
Grayson,"
he
said.
"And
I'm
glad,"
I
said,
"to
meet
you,
Mr.
Purdy."
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